Former South African star AB de Villiers has shared his views on India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s recent comments regarding the batting order.
Gambhir raised many eyebrows with his comments that the batting order is given too much importance in white-ball cricket. His comments came after India’s 2-1 series win over South Africa earlier this month. During the series, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is a designated opener, batted at number four, while Washington Sundar has been used as a floater.
“I think in the one-day format, you have to know the template you want to play with. I have always believed that in white-ball cricket, except the opening combination, the batting order is given a lot of importance.” Gambhir had said in the press conference after the match.
“Look, you are talking about someone who has scored 100 runs in Manchester, scored 50 runs at the Oval, who averages, what, over 40 in Tests. Sometimes, you have to look at the balance as well. I know it is tough for someone like Washi, but then I think he has done an incredible job batting at No. 3, No. 5, No. 8.” He added.
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AB de Villiers on Gautam Gambhir’s ‘batting order’ comment:
Gautam Gambhir’s comment has created a lot of stir in the cricket world. While some have supported his views, some have questioned it, saying that an unstable batting order hurts the team. However, AB de Villiers has supported Gambhir’s views, although he has also issued a warning.
The Proteas veteran said that even though a team may prefer frequent changes to its batting order, there has to be a clear balance. AB de Villiers pointed out that the team-management can’t really play too much with the roles of the players.
“I agree with him to some extent. I’ve always enjoyed floating batting lineups in ODIs. But it’s a fine line because you can’t really mess with the players’ roles too much. It’s the top three, four to six and then your tailenders who can hold the bat. It’s almost like three sections, and you can be really creative with it. Play with right- and left-hand combinations and certain situations of the game.” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
Speaking further, the former cricketer praised India’s performance in T20 cricket, saying: “It’s been incredible, especially for the T20 format. It’s the most volatile format of the three, and that kind of consistency tells you there’s something going in the right direction. I think it has to do with the depth of Indian cricket.”
India eyeing another win:
India has taken the lead by winning the first T20 of the ongoing five-match T20 series against South Africa. The Men in Blue completely thrashed the visitors in the first T20I and won the match by 101 runs. Riding on their momentum, India will be looking to go 2-0 up when they take on South Africa in the second T20I on Thursday (December 11).
